Air outlet device for a vehicle, especially for an airplane

ABSTRACT

An air outlet device for a vehicle, especially for an aircraft, comprises a nozzle body with an air intake opening and an air outlet opening. The air outlet device further comprises a holding element formed with an accommodating opening having the nozzle body supported therein for rotation about a longitudinal axis extending through the air intake opening and the air outlet opening, and a valve body arranged coaxially within the nozzle body and guided by the holding element. Upon rotation of the nozzle body, the valve body can be displaced in the nozzle body between a closing position for blocking the air outlet opening and a maximum opening position for clearing the air outlet opening to the maximum extent. The valve body is of a hollow configuration.

This non-provisional application is a divisional of application Ser. No.10/600,538 filed on Jun. 23, 2003, U.S. Pat. No. 6,887,147 which is adivisional of application Ser. No. 10/042,152, now U.S. Pat. No.6,589,109 B2 filed on Jan. 11, 2002 and issued on Jul. 8, 2003, theentire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, andclaims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) on Patent Application No. 101 01232.2, filed in Germany on Jan. 11, 2001, which is also hereinincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an air outlet device for a vehicle.

As a common feature in vehicles, particularly in airplanes and busses,it is provided that each passenger can set a cooling air streamindividually for his or her convenience by means of an air dischargenozzle arranged in the ceiling above the seat. Such air outlet devices(“air showers”) comprise a nozzle body to be selectively closed and setto different spatial configurations so that the discharged air streamcan be oriented correspondingly.

An air outlet device of the above type is known e.g. from U.S. Pat. No.5,399,119. This air outlet device comprises a nozzle body with an airintake opening and an air outlet opening. Arranged within the nozzlebody is a coaxial valve body which, by turning the nozzle body, can bedisplaced between a closed position for closing the air outlet openingand one of several opening positions arranged to open the air outletopening to a higher or lesser extent. The nozzle body is supported forrotation on a holding element, which in turn is supported in a holdingrecess formed in a ceiling panel above the seat.

Particularly in aircraft construction, the desired reduction of weightdictates a light-weighted and nonetheless stable construction of theindividual components. The above mentioned known air outlet device is ofa rather material-intensive and thus heavy design. Further, the knownair outlet device comprises a very small operating member for the nozzlebody because the operating member for the nozzle body is inserted frominside into the holding member and will then project therefrom throughan accommodating opening. Thus, the diameter of the operating member canbe at best as large as the diameter of the accommodating opening while astill larger diameter is not possible. Further, in air outlet devices ofthe type discussed herein and thus also in the above known air outletdevice, the valve body is visible from the outside, with inherent designrestrictions because the valve body should be adapted in color to thesurrounding area of the passenger cabin. Further, it is to be consideredthat the discharged air stream may cause flow noises when passing thenozzle body. Thus, for added passenger comfort, it is desirable tosuppress such noises as far as possible.

Therefore, in air outlet devices of the above type, a necessity existsfor improvements in various regards, as outlined above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the instant invention, there is proposedan air outlet device for a vehicle, especially for an airplane,comprising

-   -   a nozzle body with an air intake opening and an air outlet        opening,    -   a holding element formed with an accommodating opening having        the nozzle body supported therein for rotation about a        longitudinal axis extending through the air intake opening and        the air outlet opening, and    -   a valve body arranged coaxially within the nozzle body and        guided by the holding element, wherein, upon rotation of the        nozzle body, the valve body can be displaced in the nozzle body        between a closing position for blocking the air outlet opening        and a maximum opening position for clearing the air outlet        opening to the maximum extent, the valve body being of a hollow        configuration.

To reduce the constructional weight, the air outlet device according tothe present invention comprises a valve body, which is of a hollowconfiguration. The valve body is preferably formed in two parts, notablyin such a manner that the valve body is closed on its end facing towardsthe air intake opening of the nozzle body and is open at the closing endfacing towards the air outlet opening. Thus, a valve body of this typeis of a dome-shaped hollow design which can be produced in a simplemanner, e.g. by injection molding. The open closing end can be closed bya cover member forming the second part of the two-part configuration ofthe valve body. This cover member, which can be provided after themanner of a (closure) plug, can be of a different color from the valvebody. This makes it possible to adapt the design of the valve body tothe interior design of the passenger cabin of the vehicle (airplane).

The feature that the valve body has its closing end provided with acover member can be realized also in valve bodies which are solid, i.e.not hollow. Thus, within the scope of the present invention, theadapting of the valve body design is a feature in its own right.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the valve body isin guiding engagement with the holding element via a coupling member.This guiding engagement can be e.g. a threaded engagement wherein, inthis case, the coupling member is provided with an outer threadcooperating with an inner thread of the holding element. For thispurpose, the coupling member comprises a continuous ring having itsouter side provided with the thread. For reasons of weight reduction,the inner thread of the holding element is preferably segmented, i.e. itdoes not extend along 360°. Instead, the holding element comprisesindividual, inwardly projecting partial segments, which on theirinwardly directed inner side are formed with a threaded structure.

When the nozzle body is rotated, the coupling member of the valve bodyis taken along with the valve body and thereby is rotated. Thus, thevalve body is rotated when axially displaced within the nozzle body uponrotation of the latter. For this purpose, the nozzle body is formed withreceiving slots extending radially through the nozzle body wall andbeing open towards the air intake end of the nozzle body. In such anarrangement, the coupling member of the valve body is provided withspoke-like webs immersed into the receiving slots of the nozzle body.When the nozzle body is rotated and the valve body is thus displaced,these webs will be axially displaced within the slots.

Preferably, the valve body and the coupling member are formed as onepart, particularly as an injection-molded (plastic) member.

By way of alternative to the above described threaded engagement betweenthe coupling member and the holding element, the coupling member of thevalve body can be guided in axial guide grooves of the holding element,and the axial displacement of the valve body can be performed throughslots in the nozzle body wall which are formed in ascending orientationin the manner of a thread. Also in this case, it is of course possibleto form the valve body and the coupling member as one part, e.g. as aninjection-molded member of plastic or the like.

The forming of the valve body as an injection-molded (plastic) memberresults in the formation of an undesired sprue cone on the valve body.This projection impairs the homogeneity of the surface of the valvebody, which under the aspect of flow technology will cause a noise to begenerated. Preferably, this sprue cone is accommodated completely withina trough-like spherical deepened portion on that end of the valve bodywhich is facing toward the air intake opening of the nozzle body and issubjected to the onflow of air. Beyond this measure, it is preferredunder the aspects of flow technology and particularly for thesuppression of noise development that the end of the valve bodysubjected to the onflow of air has a rounded shape, i.e. issubstantially hemispherical. In this case, the trough-like deepenedportion is preferably arranged in the apex region of the rounded end ofthe valve body.

Each of the above described features of the valve body, i.e. theone-pieced configuration of the valve body and the coupling member, therounded shape of the end of the valve body subjected to the onflow ofair and the accommodation of the sprue cone in the trough-like deepenedportion, is adapted for legal protection individually and in combinationwith any other of these features; particularly, these features need notbe necessarily combined with the hollow shape of the valve body and theprovision of the cover member.

Already above, in connection with the guiding engagement between thecoupling member and the holding element, the advantage of the segmentedinner thread of the holding element by the formation ofcircumferentially spaced partial segments has been pointed out. Thesegmented inner thread does not only save weight but also facilitatesthe production of the holding element as an injection-molded (plastic)member. Thus, the quality of the outer surface of the holding element isincreased without the need for a mechanical finishing treatment such ase.g. polishing. By the segmented inner thread, excess accumulation ofmaterial on the inner side of the holding element are avoided, thusreducing the shrinkage of the injection-molded holding element. Theimproved surface quality of the holding element is of advantage withregard to the air-tight insertion of the holding element in acorresponding holding recess in the ceiling paneling. In this context,it is to be noted that the holding elements of known air outlet devicesare spherical so that the placement of such a spherical holding elementin the holding recess will result in a ball-bearing arrangement whichallows for an individual adjustment of the nozzle body with a spatialangular range. For the air-tight accommodation of the spherical holdingelement in the holding recess, a uniformly round surface of the holdingelement is required, which—as explained above—is enhanced by thesegmented configuration of the inner thread. According to another aspectof the inventive air outlet device, the nozzle body comprises anoperating member to be manually turned for adjustment and extending to aposition external of the holding element, and a sleeve member arrangedwithin the holding element and connected to the operating member forcommon rotation therewith. The operating member and the sleeve memberare arranged to grip around the edge of the accommodating opening of theholding element having the nozzle body arranged for rotation thereon.Since the nozzle body is formed in two parts (operating member andsleeve member), these two parts can be inserted into the holding elementfrom opposite sides. Thus, particularly, the operating member can havean outer diameter larger than that of the accommodating opening becausethe operating member will not be inserted anymore into the accommodatingopening via the central passage opening as provided in the air outletdevice known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,119 but will be moved from outsideagainst the holding element. In doing so, the operating member willremain external of the holding element so that its outer diameter can beselected to be larger than the diameter of the accommodating opening ofthe holding element.

Preferably, the operating member is provided with a collar portionjoining the operating portion and having an outer diameter equal to orslightly smaller than the diameter of the accommodating opening. Withthe collar portion inserted into the holding element, the sleeve memberwill then be mounted onto the collar portion. Thereafter, the collarportion forms a part of the inner side of the nozzle body and thus apart of the inner side of the air channel extending through the holdingelement. The second part of this air channel is formed by the sleevemember if the latter is advantageously arranged to project beyond thecollar portion in the direction towards the air intake opening of thenozzle body. The sleeve member is e.g. provided with the above-describedreceiving slots for the coupling member of the valve body.

In any case, the above described two-part configuration of the nozzlebody will lend the nozzle body a cylindrical inner side which issubstantially free of sudden transitions, i.e. is substantially withoutnon-uniform regions. Thus, there is obtained a smooth inner side which,under the flow-technology aspect, is in turn of advantage with regard tothe resistance and the noise reduction.

The above-described two-part configuration of the nozzle body providesfor a clear functional separation between the manipulation of the nozzlebody and the guidance of the air stream through the nozzle body. Theoperating portion whereon the nozzle body is manually turned for settingthe axial position of the valve body, is arranged to radially projectbeyond the accommodating opening of the holding element, thus coveringthe accommodating edge and consequently a possible annular gap generatedbetween the nozzle body and the holding element. Due to its enlargedradial dimensions, the operating portion is manually gripped andoperated (turned) in an easier manner.

As a result of its two-part configuration, the nozzle body—as alreadydescribed above in connection with the closing end of the valve body—canbe adapted to the design of the surface regions of the interior of thevehicle surrounding the air outlet device without the requirement thatthe whole valve body consist of a material of the same design that wouldthus possibly cause higher expenses.

A preferred embodiment of the instant invention will be explained ingreater detail hereunder with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a lateral view of the air outlet device for air supply towardsa seat in a vehicle, such as e.g. an aircraft or bus, with the panelingon the ceiling schematically outlined;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II—II in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III—III in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the individual components of the airoutlet device of FIGS. 1 to 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 1 to 4 illustrate the configuration of an air outlet device 10 andthe cooperation of the various components of the device 10. According toFIG. 1, the air outlet device 10 is arranged in the ceiling paneling 12above a passenger seat e.g. of an airplane or bus. By manual operationof the air outlet device 10, the intensity and the direction of adischarged air flow can be changed.

The air outlet device 10 comprises a spherical holding element 14arranged in a cylindrical accommodating element 16 to be pivoted inelement 16 within a spatial angle dictated by the constructional design.This accommodating element 16 is shaped after the manner of a shell andon its end adjacent the ceiling paneling 12 is provided with an innerflange 18 (cf. FIG. 2) abutting the spherical outer side of sphericalholding element 14. The spherical holding element 14 is inserted, fromthe end of accommodating element 16 opposite the inner flange 18, into asupport element 20. The outer side of support element 20, abutting theaccommodating element 16, is cylindrical, and the side of supportelement 20 abutting the holding element 14 is spherically concave.Support element 20 does not only serve for support of spherical holdingelement 14 but also for effecting an air-tight closure of the spacebetween accommodating element 16 and holding element 14. In its mountingposition shown in FIG. 2, support element 20 is biased by a corrugatedspring ring 22 supported on support element 20 and on a retaining ring24 secured on the accommodating element 16.

As shown in FIG. 1, the accommodating element 16 is arranged in achamber or shaft 26 supplied with pressurized air and, by its endprovided with the inner flange 18, is arranged in sealing abutment onthe edge 28 of an opening 30 of the ceiling paneling 12. Thus, a part ofthe spherical holding element 14 and an operating member for setting theintensity and the direction of the air flow will project from opening30.

As evident from FIGS. 2 and 4, the spherical holding element 14 isformed with a spherical wall and a central through passage 32 whichextends from a first opening 34 to a (second) accommodating opening 36.Arranged on the inner side of through passage 32 are three threadpart-segments 38 displaced by 60° relatively to each other in thecircumferential direction (see particularly FIG. 3) and together formingan inner thread 39. In the accommodating opening 36 of the holdingelement 14, a nozzle body 40 is arranged for rotation about a centralaxis 42 of the through passage 32 of holding element 14. This nozzlebody 40 comprises an air intake opening 44 and an air outlet opening 46.The nozzle body 40 is formed in two parts and comprises an operatingmember 48 projecting from out of the accommodating opening 36 of holdingelement 14. On its cylindrical outer side, the nozzle body 40 isprovided with trough-like gripping recesses 50 to facilitate the manualgripping of the nozzle body 40 for rotating the same. Provided in theoperating member 48 is the air outlet opening 46 of the nozzle body 40which is arranged concentrically to the central axis 42 of the throughpassage 32 of holding element 14.

The operating member 48 is provided with an operating portion 52comprising the operating recesses 50, and with a collar portion 54 whichprojects from the operating portion 52 into the holding element 14.While the inner side 56 of the operating member 48 within the collarportion 54 and the joining part of the operating portion 52 is of acylindrical shape, the outer side between the operating portion 52 andthe collar portion 54 has a shoulder surface or radial surface 58 formedthereon. Mounted to the collar portion 54 is a sleeve member 60 ofnozzle body 40, of which the cylindrical inner side 62 merges into thecylindrical inner side 56 of operating member 48. The sleeve member 60and the operating member 48 are bonded to each other. In combination,these two members form the air guiding channel within nozzle body 40.

The sleeve member 60 is spaced from the shoulder surface 58 of operatingmember 48. Thus, between the shoulder surface 58 and the opposite endface 64 of sleeve member 60, the outer side of the nozzle body 40 isprovided with a receiving groove 66 into which the edge of theaccommodating opening 36 of holding element 14 is immersed. In thismanner, nozzle body 40 is supported for rotation on holding element 14.

Within the nozzle body 40, a valve body 68 is arranged which comprises afrustoconical or domed wall 70 and a hollow space 72 delimited by wall70. The valve body 68 has a closed end 73 facing toward the air intakeopening 44 of nozzle body 40 and an open end 74 facing toward the airoutlet opening 46 of nozzle body 40. A cover portion 76 is inserted intothe open end 74 by a snap-on connection or by retention of selfsubstance. The edge of cover member 76 and the end 74 of valve body 68form the closing end of valve body 68 by which the valve body 68 canclose the air outlet opening 46 to a larger or lesser extent.

The valve body 68 is formed as an injection-molded (plastic) member,which is the case also for most of the other components of the airoutlet device 10. Valve body 68 is arranged for rotation and axialdisplacement in holding element 14 and nozzle body 40, respectively. Forthis purpose, nozzle body 40 is provided with three radially projectingwebs 78, which on their ends facing away from valve body 68 areconnected to each other by means of a ring 80. This ring 80 has itsouter side provided with an outer thread 81 engaging the segmented innerthread 38 of the spherical holding element 14. The webs 78 and the ring80 in combination form a coupling member 82 by which the valve body 68is mechanically coupled both to the holding element 14 and with thenozzle body 40. This coupling is performed by means of axial receivingslots 83 formed in the sleeve member 60 and having the webs 78 immersedtherein. The number of the webs 78 and of the axial receiving slots 83each time amounts to three, while also other numbers are possible. Dueto the axial receiving slots 83, the valve body 68 is taken along viathe coupling member 82 when the sleeve member 60 is rotated. Thus,because of the threaded engagement between the coupling member 82 andthe holding element 14, the valve body 68 will be axially moved withinthe nozzle body 40.

As already mentioned, the valve body 68 and the coupling member 82 areformed as one injection-molded plastic member. The sprue cone 84 of thismolded member is arranged within a spherical deepened portion 86 at theclosed end 73 of valve body 68. Besides, this end 73 is of asemispherical, i.e. rounded shape, which under the aspect of flowtechnology is advantageous with respect to the possible noises and theflow resistance. Again for reasons of flow technology, a flow guidingelement in the form of a guiding ring 88 is inserted into the end of thespherical holding element 14 facing away from the accommodating opening36. The inner side of guiding ring 88 is substantially flush with theinner side 62 of sleeve member 60, and the guiding ring side 90 facingtoward the air flow is rounded in a convex shape. This guiding ringcovers the space between the spherical holding element 14 and the nozzlebody 40.

Finally, it should be mentioned that a biased helical spring 94 isarranged between the webs 78 and an outer abutment ring 92 of the sleevemember 60, serving for the reliable maintenance of the present positionof the valve body 68 within the nozzle body 40.

1. An air outlet device for a vehicle, comprising: a nozzle body with an air intake opening and an air outlet opening, a holding element formed with an accommodating opening having the nozzle body supported therein for rotation about a longitudinal axis extending through the air intake opening and the air outlet opening, and a valve body, arranged coaxially within the nozzle body and guided by the holding element, which valve body upon rotation of the nozzle body can be displaced in the nozzle body between a closing position for blocking the air outlet opening and a maximum opening position for clearing the air outlet opening to the maximum extent, wherein the valve body comprises a coupling member being in guiding engagement with the holding element and arranged to be taken along by the nozzle body upon rotation of the same, wherein the coupling member is provided with webs projecting from the valve body and with ring connecting the webs to each other, and wherein the webs of the coupling member extend through receiving slots of the nozzle body which are open toward the air intake opening of the nozzle body, the ring of the coupling member being arranged externally of the nozzle body, and wherein the coupling member is formed in one piece with the valve body.
 2. The air outlet device according to claim 1, wherein the valve body and the coupling member are formed as an integral injection-molded member.
 3. The air outlet device according to claim 1, wherein the coupling member comprises an outer thread and the holding element comprises an inner thread, the inner thread of the holding element comprising partial segments spaced from each other in the circumferential direction.
 4. The air outlet device according to claim 1, wherein the valve body has a closing end facing towards the air outlet opening of the nozzle body, with a cover member.
 5. The air outlet device according to claim 1, wherein the valve body has an end facing towards the air intake opening of the nozzle body that is of a rounded shape.
 6. The air outlet device according to claim 1, wherein the valve body has a rounded end with an apex and a substantially spherical deepened portion in the region of the apex of its rounded end.
 7. The air outlet device according to claim 6, wherein the valve body has a sprue cone arranged within the spherical deepened portion of its rounded end.
 8. The air outlet device according to claim 1, wherein the holding element is of a spherical shape and comprises a central through passage provided with the accommodating opening for the nozzle body.
 9. The air outlet device according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle body comprises an operating member to be manually turned for adjustment and extending to a position external of the holding element, and a sleeve member arranged within the holding element and connected to the operating member for common rotation therewith.
 10. The air outlet device according to claim 9, wherein the operating member in the region of an operation portion arranged externally of the holding element, and the sleeve member each have a larger radial dimension than the accommodating opening of the holding element.
 11. The air outlet device according to claim 9, wherein the operating member comprises a collar portion joining the operation portion while extending through the accommodating opening of the holding element into the holding element and forming at least a part of the inner side of the nozzle body, and wherein the sleeve member is configured to be mounted on the collar portion.
 12. The air outlet device according to claim 11, wherein the sleeve member extends beyond the collar portion of the operating member into the holding element and in this region forms the inner side of the nozzle body.
 13. The air outlet device according to claim 9, wherein the inner side of the nozzle body is substantially cylindrical.
 14. The air outlet device according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle body comprises a receiving groove with the holding element immersed therein by its edge delimiting the accommodating opening for the nozzle body.
 15. The air outlet device according to claim 14, wherein the receiving groove is delimited by confronting surfaces of the operating member and the sleeve member. 